Pat-a-Cake Baby - Hardcover

Dunbar, Joyce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763675776 ISBN 13: 9780763675776

Publisher: Candlewick, 2015

Synopsis

Mother-daughter team Joyce and Polly Dunbar offer a sweet and whimsical confection for babies, inspired by a nursery rhyme.

It’s late at night, and everyone is sleeping—except for pat-a-cake baby! All dressed up in his chef’s coat and hat, baby wants to make a very special cake. Time to wake up Candy baby, Jelly baby, and Allsorts baby—miniature cherubic figures who float through the pages to lend a hand. One by one, they add ingredients, from glitzy sugar to yolky jokey eggs, until it’s time to bake, pat, and decorate the cake. Finally it’s ready for tasting, just in time for a special guest (the man in the moon!) to have a slice. This surreal and colorful treat is just right for sending little ones off to dreamland.

About this title

About the Author

Joyce Dunbar has published more than eighty books, including Shoe Baby, which was illustrated by her daughter, Polly Dunbar. Her books have been translated into twenty languages. She has also written stories for radio and TV and contributed to anthologies. She lives in Norfolk, England.

Polly Dunbar is the author-illustrator of Penguin, Dog Blue, and Arthur's Dream Boat. She is also the illustrator of My Dad's a Birdman, written by David Almond, and Here's a Little Poem, an anthology of poems for very young children. She lives in London.

From School Library Journal

PreS—All tongue-twisting rhythm and sugary rhyme, this story stars a baking baby who sneaks into the kitchen to create a sweet surprise while everyone is sleeping. Accompanied by three miniature and multicolored sous chefs, the baby mixes, pours, and sifts before it is finally Pat-a-Cake Time. With the moon as the guest of honor, the quartet of sticky babies enjoy the fruits of their labors when it is finally Eating Time. Pastel colors, sparkles, and dreamlike star-spangled backgrounds help suspend reality in this adaptation of the familiar rhyme. The rhyme scheme, word choices, and length may make reading aloud challenging without some practice beforehand. VERDICT By inviting audience participation in each rollicking step and possibly pairing the book with an actual baking activity, this sweet story can be a treat.—Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0763675776
• ISBN 13: 9780763675776
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Dunbar Polly